What is the Japan Specified Skilled Worker visa?

It is a status introduced in April 2019, known in Japanese as Tokutei Ginou, designed to bring workers into sectors Japan has identified as facing labour shortages, such as construction, food service, and agriculture. It does not require a university degree, and instead relies on a sector skills test and a Japanese language test. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

What is the difference between SSW(i) and SSW(ii)?

SSW(i) requires considerable knowledge or experience, is capped at 5 years total, and does not allow family to accompany the worker. SSW(ii) requires proficient skills, applies to a smaller set of sectors, has no cap on renewals, and allows a spouse and children to accompany the worker. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Which sectors are eligible for the Specified Skilled Worker visa?

Long-standing sectors include construction, shipbuilding, agriculture, fishery and aquaculture, food and beverage manufacturing, food service, accommodation and hospitality, nursing care, building cleaning, industrial machinery manufacturing, automobile maintenance, and aviation ground handling, with road transport, railway, forestry, and the wood industry added in 2024. Sources disagree on the exact current total number of sectors, so check the current list directly with ISA. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Can I bring my family on the Specified Skilled Worker visa?

Not under SSW(i), where family cannot accompany the worker at all. Under SSW(ii), a spouse and children can accompany the worker, similar to an ordinary work visa. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Do I need to pass a Japanese language test?

Generally yes for SSW(i), through the JFT-Basic test or JLPT at N4 level or above. Workers who completed around 3 years of Technical Intern Training (ii) are exempt from this language test regardless of whether their new field matches their prior training. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Does completing Technical Intern Training exempt me from the skills test too?

Only if your Specified Skilled Worker sector matches the field of your prior Technical Intern Training. The skills-test exemption is narrower than the language-test exemption, which applies regardless of field match. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How long can I stay in Japan on this visa?

SSW(i) is capped at 5 years total. SSW(ii) has no cap on renewals, provided the worker continues to meet the requirements of the status. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Does time on this visa count toward permanent residence?

As a rule, SSW(i) time is reported not to count toward the residency period needed for standard permanent residence, since it is an explicitly temporary, capped status, while SSW(ii) time is reported to count in the same way an ordinary work status would. Neither position is reported by industry and trade sources as confirmed against a primary ISA statement -- treat both as indicative and check with ISA directly before relying on them.

What is my employer required to do for me under SSW(i)?

Accepting organisations must run or outsource a support plan covering pre-entry orientation, airport pickup, housing assistance, life guidance, help with public procedures, Japanese-language learning opportunities, a complaints channel, community interaction, regular monitoring, and support if employment ends involuntarily. This can be outsourced to a Registered Support Organisation, commonly cited at JPY 20,000 to 50,000 per worker per month, though check the current rate with any provider you consider. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker support plan requirements. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How much does the visa cost?

A Certificate of Eligibility and status-change application fee of around JPY 4,000 was reportedly introduced in mid-2025, and consular visa issuance fees are reportedly rising from 1 July 2026, with single-entry visas moving to around JPY 15,000 and multiple-entry visas to around JPY 30,000. The consular fee rise is reported by industry and trade sources, not confirmed against a primary Ministry of Foreign Affairs notice -- treat it as indicative and check current fees with ISA and your nearest Japanese embassy or consulate before relying on them.

What is Ikusei Shuro and does it replace this visa?

Ikusei Shuro does not replace the Specified Skilled Worker visa, it replaces the Technical Intern Training Programme that often feeds into it. Japan passed a law on 14 June 2024 to introduce Ikusei Shuro from 1 April 2027, designed to run for around 3 years and lead directly into SSW(i) in a matching field, with more freedom to change employer than Technical Intern Training allowed. Official source: Ministry of Justice of Japan, Ikusei Shuro reform. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How does this compare with Japan's Highly Skilled Professional visa or standard work visas?

The Specified Skilled Worker visa is built around sector skill and does not require a degree, while the Highly Skilled Professional visa is points-based and aimed at higher-earning specialists with a faster route to permanent residence. Standard work visas such as Engineer or Specialist in Humanities and International Services sit between the two, and are reported to require a much higher Japanese language bar, CEFR B2 or JLPT N2-equivalent, for new applicants from 15 April 2026, a considerably harder standard than SSW's JFT-Basic or JLPT N4. This is reported by industry and trade sources, not confirmed against a primary ISA statement -- treat it as indicative and check ISA directly before relying on it.

Does eMigr8 give legal or immigration advice on the Specified Skilled Worker visa?

No. We give coaching and guidance to help you understand and plan around the Specified Skilled Worker route. We do not give legal advice or immigration consultation, and sector eligibility, tests, caps, and fees are set by Japan's Immigration Services Agency and can change, so always confirm your specific position with ISA or a qualified immigration professional.

Japan's Specified Skilled Worker visa, explained in plain terms

Japan's Specified Skilled Worker (Tokutei Ginou) status was introduced in April 2019 to bring workers into sectors facing serious labour shortages, from construction and food service to agriculture and building cleaning. It has two tiers that are easy to confuse: SSW(i), a capped, temporary status without family rights, and SSW(ii), a smaller, higher-skill tier with no renewal cap and family rights attached. Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), Specified Skilled Worker. Reviewed 17 July 2026. This page sets out how each tier works, which sectors and tests apply, what your employer is required to provide, and how the route compares with Japan's Highly Skilled Professional visa and standard work visas.

Who it is for

Workers with practical experience in a labour-shortage sector such as construction, food service, agriculture, or building cleaning, who can pass the relevant skills and Japanese language tests; Technical Intern Training graduates in Japan who want to change status and continue working in a matching sector; Workers who do not hold a university degree and are looking for a route into Japan built around sector skill rather than academic qualification; Employers and accepting organisations in designated sectors who are recruiting from overseas or converting existing trainees; Workers in an SSW(ii) sector who want family to join them and a status without a fixed renewal cap.

How eMigr8 helps

eMigr8 provides coaching and guidance to help you understand and plan around the Specified Skilled Worker route. We do not give legal advice or immigration consultation. Sector eligibility, tests, caps, and fees are set and updated by Japan's Immigration Services Agency and can change, so always confirm your specific position with ISA or a qualified immigration professional before you rely on anything here.